


Kidnap!

by bittenfeld



Category: Jonny Quest, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
Genre: Angst, Hypnotism, Kidnapping, M/M, Prophetic Dreams, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 13:26:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7388830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittenfeld/pseuds/bittenfeld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>just an unfinished plot bunny.</p><p>The kids have been kidnapped by a renegade Company man.  Someone Race knows from the past.  An interrogator from Race’s old unit, a man who not-so-kiddingly spoke of job satisfaction, extracting information from prisoners...<br/>With no clue as to where Jonny and Hadji are being held, how can Benton and Race ever hope to find them?  Until Race seems to receive a telepathic message from Hadji...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kidnap!

The kids have been kidnapped by a renegade Company man.  Someone Race knows from the past.  An interrogator from Race’s old unit, a man who not-so-kiddingly spoke of job satisfaction.  Race kicked the guy off his team years before in ‘Nam, because of cruelty to prisoners.

The man is after a project that the Quest team is working on.  He and Race have confronted each other.  Then he takes the kids.

Benton and Race are frantic.  There has been no ransom demand.  No sign at all where he took the boys.

They’ve done all they can.  The two men are alone in the house at night.  They’ve checked everything on the computer, Race has put out lines with old acquaintances, with every government contact he has.  Now they just have to wait for some of the leads to work out.

Race  is pacing, Benton is sunk in a chair.  Benton keeps demanding, what else can they do?  Race is resigned – there is nothing more they can do now.  Race keeps pacing.  It’s the middle of the night.  Finally Benton suggests Race go to bed, there’s no sense both of them staying awake.  Race pauses his pacing, but shows no interest in going upstairs. He says he can’t sleep – every time he starts to drift off, he has nightmares.  Benton admits it’s the same for him.  Neither one wants to give up the watch.

Benton asks about Race’s old commando mate – how much danger are the kids really in?  Race says he doesn’t know – he doesn’t want to throw out suggestions that will make Benton feel bad.  Benton says nothing could be worse than his imagining.  Race says the man was rough during interrogations – but he has no reason to hurt the kids, there’s nothing he wants from them.  Benton says, “except to get at you and me.”  Race says nothing.  He sits beside Benton.  Benton’s eyes are moist.  They sit silently for a long time.

Benton is drifting in half-sleep.  Suddenly Race jerks awake with a short cry.  He says it’s the same dream again.  It’s more real than a normal dream.  And it’s always about Hadji.  Benton notes that maybe Hadji is trying to communicate, consciously or unconsciously. They know he has some mystical psychic abilities.  But Race just says, why would he be receiving, he’s not psychic.  Benton says perhaps the extreme stress of the situation has put him in sync with Hadji, at least consider the possibility.

Benton asks for details of the dream, but at first Race insists, “I don’t remember.”  But Benton is persistent.  He can tell that Race is holding something back.  Benton insists, “For godsake, Race, this may be our only solution to get the children back.”

Race finally says it’s like a black room – utter blackness.  A grave perhaps? Benton suggests.  Race says, “You think they’re buried alive – or maybe dead – communicating from beyond the grave?”  Benton just shrugs, he doesn’t know.  But Race says it doesn’t seem like that – although he admits he wouldn’t really know.  But it seems more like a black room.  Then blinding light, then a man in a grey blazer enters.  And that’s it.

Benton says, “Are you sure?  You cry out. What makes you cry out?”  Race is reluctant to say more, he doesn’t want to upset Benton.  But Benton insists, “Please, for the children’s sake – not mine!”  Finally in a rough voice, Race says that the man in the blazer has a knife in hand.  Then the dream erupts in mortal screaming, and blacks out again, and Race bolts awake, sweating and trembling.

Benton is quivering, eyes wet.  “My god, what is he doing to the children?”

“I don’t know.”

“You know him.  What is he capable of?”

“Don’t even start down that road, Benton.  Surmises are just that – surmises.  That’s poisonous.  It won’t help the kids or us.”

“My mind won’t let go of it, though.  I know it’s no use, but I keep envisioning what they must be going through… and I feel so helpless.”

“And the more you dwell on it, the worse you’ll feel, until you’re completely paralyzed with inaction.  I don’t know what he’s doing to the kids.  I know what he _can_ do – I’ve seen things he’s done to prisoners that I don’t even want to think about, much less talk about.  Maybe he’s hurt the kids, or maybe he hasn’t.  But I can tell you that his purpose is to torture us with the uncertainty.  So if you give in to it – that’s means he’s succeeding.”

Race tries to reassure him, maybe it doesn’t mean anything, maybe the images are just Race’s own worst imaginings playing out.  But Benton shakes his head – “You say it’s not like a normal dream.”  Race agrees, “No, it’s not.”  Benton says, “And for the children’s sake, we can’t afford to ignore it.”  Race questions, “But what good is it?  It doesn’t give us any real clues.”  Benton considers, “It might – if you could just lock onto Hadji’s thoughts and images.”  Race balks, “how am I supposed to do that?”  Benton suggests, “maybe with some help.”  He knows of a psychic investigator, Dr. Anderson, at Duke University.

They go to the man.  Dr. Anderson hypnotizes Race to relax him, but it doesn’t work.  Then he suggests a colleague who’s working on a hush-hush project regarding hypnosis and drugs.  When they try to locate this man, they get locked out – Dept of Defense Restricted Access.  Race goes to his old superior, Commander Bennett, again.  Bennett finds out for them, then arranges a meeting with the doctor.

Dr. Cunningham has been researching brain wave patterns, creating a program which would map the EEG, then read it, creating an image of the subject’s thoughts.  The subject is in a drug-induced sleep, leaving his whole mind open, while the Cunningham directs the focus with pertinent questions.

Dryly Race notes that that would make an excellent interrogation tool.  Cunningham and Bennett shunt the comment aside, don’t affirm or deny.

The idea is for Race to go into a trance, thinking of Hadji.  That should open the channel, the message will be recorded, and then read out with all details intact.  In other words, they will be reading Hadji’s mind via Race’s mind.  Hopefully there will be some telltale signs as to where the boys are being held.

Race draws the commander aside.  There’s an extra factor here – as an ex-intelligence operative, he’s got info in his head that could compromise a lot of people, for someone to go randomly playing around in his head while he’s out of commission.  But Cmdr. Bennett just says that Dr. Cunningham has even higher security clearance than Race.  And Bennett will be there too during the entire proceedings.

. . . . .

 _to be continued someday_ …


End file.
